"It's not to do with who you are, or what you have done, as long as you have got a good idea and demonstrate in your pitch that you know what you are talking about," she said.
Freelancers should not be deterred by the rising number of new freelancers as a result of the economic downturn: "Although many reporters had been made redundant from their full-time posts, as a freelancer you are still very important to editors."
Editors value reliability from contributors the most, Grossman added.
"They really don't care about you at all, just your idea and that you can carry it out and meet a deadline," she said.
It is best to pitch to as many editors as possible, 'tweaking' the pitch to aim it directly at each publication, Grossman said.
Editors prefer a pitch that gives full details of a feature; what the feature will do, who has been interviewed and where the issue will go, instead of 'dangling carrots at them', she said.
Grossman, who is also a writing mentor and lectures in journalism at various London universities, said good ideas must have a topical news hook: "Even if you have wanted to write about something for a while, wait until it is topical before you pitch the idea."
When speaking about freelancing as a career, Grossman admitted that motivation was her biggest fear, but warned: "Nobody is going to tell you what to do, but if you don't do anything nothing will happen. Get out there and market your ideas."
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